Former elite swimming coach John Wright, 79, has died in custody while awaiting trial on charges of sexually abusing multiple boys, including an Australian Olympian. Queensland Corrective Services confirmed his death on November 1 at the Princess Alexandra Hospital Secure Unit in Brisbane.
Wright, a former national junior swimming coach, was arrested last year after the ABC published allegations he sexually abused five boys he coached in Australia and abroad. The allegations included abuse at two Queensland pools in the 1980s.
Australian Olympian Shane Lewis had complained to Swimming Australia in 2016 that Wright sexually abused him from age 11 to 13 in Brisbane. Lewis died in February 2021, and his family believes it was suicide. The ABC also spoke to two other former elite swimmers who alleged Wright abused them as boys at the Chandler pool in Brisbane in the mid-1980s.
Another swimmer, Paul Shearer, alleged Wright abused him as a boy at the Palm Beach Currumbin pool on the Gold Coast in the late 1980s. Following the ABC report, Queensland Police assembled a task force and arrested Wright in Western Australia, extraditing him to face nine charges of indecent dealing of a child and one count of common assault.
His first court appearance was delayed due to medical issues, including chest pains. In February, police charged him with a further 20 offences after more complainants came forward. Queensland Corrective Services is assisting police in preparing a report for the coroner.
